4th of July

We spent our weekend camping in the mountains for the 4th of July. We had fireworks Saturday and Sunday night, a golf cart parade Sunday after church, and lots of time to spend as a family. Anna Grace did not like the fireworks very much, but she did love riding in the golf cart with the banner that Cole and Alex made that said "Proud to be an American." Harley (our dog) was even dressed in his Uncle Sam hat for the parade! Cole and Alex enjoyed playing in the creek at the camp and making a dam for one of our camping neighbors.

Anna Grace's hair is finally getting long enough that I can pull it back into 2 little pigtails in the back! I have waited for so long to have a little girl's hair to fix. When we received our referral pictures, Anna Grace's head had been shaved and she had no hair. But, her foster mom allowed her hair to grow since then, and I think the good nutrition that Anna Grace has been getting in the last month has been helping her hair grow even faster. I can not wait to finally be able to put her hair up into little braids.

Today we went to a park to swim in a lake with our adoption group. This was the first time that Anna Grace met some of the other Chinese kids in our area. She instantly made friends with one of the older girls. Anna Grace does not let very many people hold her- especially not people that she has just met. However, she instantly allowed Lydia to play with her on the playground and carry her around. I think Anna Grace was happy to see someone who looked like her.

As I am typing this, Anna Grace is "helping" me with the laundry. She has filled my underwear drawer with clean washcloths, pushed a laundry basket around the house filled with folded clean clothes and dropped them off in each room, and scattered wet beach towels throughout the living room! I sure am glad that she is so helpful!